The direct yearly medical cost of being obese in the U.S. is $1,723 per obese person, according to a just-released report in Obesity Reviews. Being overweight is a relative bargain at $266.
These numbers translate into $114 billion yearly, or five to 10 percent of total healthcare spending.
Not included in the numbers are costs such as lost productivity due to obesity-related illness and replacement or repair of items that wear out or break due to excessive amounts of physical stress. Not to mention pain and suffering.
Are you overweight or obese? Find out with an online body mass index calculator.
Want to do anything about it? See my “Prepare for Weight Loss” series.
Reference: Tsai, A.G., et al. Direct Medical Cost of Obesity in the U.S.A. Obesity Reviews, online January 6, 2009. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-789x.2009.00708.x
